In this May 21, 2018, file photo, NHRA Funny Car driver Courtney Force raises the Wally Trophy into the air after winning the the Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kan. Courtney Force, the winningest female Funny Car driver in NHRA history, is stepping away from driving. Force said in a statement Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019, that stepping away from drag racing was a personal choice as she pursues the next chapter of her life.

Force is a 12-time Funny Car winner, was the No. 1 qualifer 28 times and ranked in the top 10 of the NHRA standings in six of her seven seasons. The daughter of 16-time world champion John Force plans to stay involved with the race team and maintain her corporate sponsorships.

Force said in a statement Thursday that stepping away from drag racing was a personal choice as she pursues the next chapter of her life. The 30-year-old Force is married to IndyCar driver Graham Rahal and the two spend more than half the year on their careers and rarely can attend each other’s events.

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